Rail grip-joint for iron bedsteads



G. BR RAIL GRIP JOINT F0 (NoModeL) AND. a E IRON BBDSTEADS.

No. 570,369. Patented 001; 27, 1896.

WI TN E SSE S A mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BRAND, OF BROOKLYN, NElV YORK.

RAIL GRIP-JOINT FOR IRON BED STEADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,369, dated October 27, 1896. Application filed August 22, 1896. Serial No. 603,564. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE BRAND, a citizen of the United States-and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Rail Grip-Joint for Iron Bedsteads, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a slip-coupling between meeting ends of rails or between a rail and the thing to which it is to be removably connected, but has specific reference to a rail grip-joint for iron bedsteads. The parts of such joints as now constructed do not make a stable union. This is partly owing to the shape of the members of the joint and partly to the fins or burs formed thereon when said parts are cast. Joints thus formed are often so bad that it is a difficult matter to get them together sufficiently to make the bedstead stand up, and very few iron bedsteads having detachable side rails are provided with joints sufficiently well constructed to prevent the head-pieces and foot-pieces from Wabbling,

The object of my invention is to overcome these defects and to produce a joint of such formation that each part shall grip the other and form a jointas rigid as the solid part of the rail and yet one that can be readily uncoupled.

To this end my invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figures 1 and 2 represent in plan the cooperating parts of the rail grip-joint separated, and Figs. 3 and 4 represent the same parts in side elevation.

A indicates a portion of a side rail of an iron bedstead; B, the body portion of one member of the joint; 0, a portion of one leg of the bedstead, and D the body portion of the other member of the joint. These parts B and D are usually cast in chills directly upon the rails and posts, and fins or burs of considerable thickness are unavoidably formed thereon.

In the joints as heretofore constructed the fin appearing as at E upon the head F has given the most trouble. Then, too, the construction of such head and of the socket G for the same has been such that even with the fin removed a good firm grip between the members could not be obtained. To provide for non-interference on account of this fin and for other irregularities of the head F, the socket G is made larger than the head, as indicated by the dotted position of said head in Fig. 2. Then, too, instead of the head having a bearing on all sides of the socket, as heretofore, I make such bearing all upon one side and so construct the meeting faces of the parts B and D that they cooperate with the bearing between the head and socket to give the desired rigidity to the joint. To accomplish this, the lateral projections of the head are curved outwardly lengthwise thereof, as at at, to give central bearing-points between the head and the outward side of the socket G. Then one or both of the meeting faces of the members B and D are curved inwardly, as indicated on B at 3 so that said faces shall bear against each other only at or near their upper and lower edges. It will also be noted that said outward side of the socket G and the contact-face of members D diverge downwardly, thereby forming wedgeshaped portions to to enter between the head and the body portion of member B. The inclination of these parts may be given to either one or both of said surfaces, as desired, but the construction shown is the preferable one.

Between the members B and D there are thus formed three horizontally arranged bearingpoints, the one so being intermediate the other two, z z, and the former bearing in opposition to the latter upon the sides of the wedgeshaped portions 10. This forms a grip-joint between the members which positively insures a rigid union. These bearing-surfaces may be cast absolutely free from fins and burs, and thereby avoid this hindrance to the formation of a good joint.

The taper of the head F and of the neck joining it to the body portion B and also of the faces of the pas age for the neck and head in part D, as indicated, is for the purpose of giving sufficient draft to the parts in casting.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A slip-joint consisting of the members B and D, the former being provided with a head'F, having central bearing-surfaces and with a face abutting against the second member, and the second member having wedgeshaped portions. entering between said bearing-surface and said abutting face, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A grip-joint for rails of iron bedsteads, consisting of the member B, provided with the bearing-surfacesz, z, and with the head F, having the bearing-points 00, located intermediate of said bearing-surfaces, and the cooperating member D, having the socket Gr, larger than said head, and forming by its out- Ward surface with the abutting face of the member D, Wedge-shaped portions for entering between said head and the bearing-surfaces of member B, substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 19th day of August, A. D. 1896.

GEORGE BRAND. WVitnesses:

WM. I-I. OAPEL, J. A. HURDLE. 

